Bolt, Sun, Star, Moon: Philosopher's Stone
by Natural-Territory
Summary: Harry, Jamie, Lilith, and Alice Potter are famous. They are The Children Who Lived. When the Dursleys abandon them on a doorstep, they are adopted, and as they start at Hogwarts, they have to deal with not only a Stone, but their own imposters. Orion, Griffin, Sunny, and Violet St. Clair are Sorted into an unexpected place, make unexpected friends, and have their own adventures. AU
1. Preface

**Preface:**

"What are we going to do, Vernon?" Petunia Dursley gasped, staring at the four bundles on her doorstep. She held a letter in her bony hand. "It says we're to _keep_ them!"

"Well, that is out of the question!" Vernon growled. "Perhaps if there were only one brat, but four is simply too much to ask of any person! Not to mention what their parents are…"

Petunia nodded in agreement.

"Here's what I'll do," decided Vernon. "I'll drive somewhere, Kent or Sussex perhaps, and leave them on a doorstep."

Petunia nodded again in agreement.

"Tonight, though," she said. "So that the neighbours won't see you."

Vernon nodded, kissed his wife and a screaming Dudley goodbye, and left for work.

That day, the babies – Harry, Jamie, Alice, and Lilith Potter – received one bottle of milk, a banana, a piece of bread, and a diaper change each. Petunia left them on the living room floor behind a child safety fence. They were given two broken toys of Dudley's to play with, and all their questions about, "Mummy" and "Daddy" were ignored.

At around six, Vernon returned. He buckled the one-year-olds into the back seat, and drove off.

After awhile, he stopped at the coast in Seven Sisters, East Sussex. He quickly located a large two-story, cream coloured house – perhaps if he found a wealthier family they would be less likely to try and return them? – scribbled a note, and left the four sleeping children on the doorstep.

Harry, Jamie, Lilith, and Alice Potter had no idea, as they slept curled up on a doorstep yet again, this time in the salty sea breeze, that they would soon be re-named Orion, Griffin, Sunny, and Violet St. Clair. They had no idea that in ten years they would learn that Chastity St. Clair wasn't their mother, and that they were witches and wizards.

They had no idea what the scars on their heads meant: Harry's a lightening bolt, Jamie's a sun, Alice's a star, and Lilith's a crescent moon.


	2. Normality

**Chapter 1: Normality**

"Vi! Come _on!_ Mum says it's time for supper!"

Violet Allison St. Clair was sitting on the roof of her house, painting a picture of the sea in front of her. Her light-brown hair blew around her shoulders, and her bright emerald eyes flashed in the setting sunlight.

"_Violet!_"called her sister again, and seconds later, Sunny Lillian St. Clair landed on the roof beside her sister. She had auburn hair that was slightly longer than Violet's, with rich brown eyes to match.

"I'm not done yet!" Violet protested. "I have to finish the clouds!"

Sunny rolled her eyes. "You and your paintings." She said, but walked over to the red-tipped fireplace and called, "Mum! Vi says she has to finish a little bit. Five more minutes?"

Inside, Chastity St. Clair walked over to the kitchen fireplace. "All right, but only five! And come through the door this time, the soot stained terribly!"

Four chuckles came from the roof and inside the house.

Sunny sat down next to her sister and looked at the drawing.

Though only ten, Violet had managed to capture the Cliffs of Dover, the shore, and the sky almost perfectly. She was still working on the clouds, of course, but it was rather good – at least Sunny thought so. It was warm outside, but not hot, even though it was June. Likely it had to do with the wind blowing over the ocean first, cooling it, or perhaps because it was afternoon.

"Done!" Violet finally announced.

"That's really pretty," Sunny said, holding the painting up to look at it side-by-side with the real thing.

"Thanks," the brown-haired girl smiled. She packed up her supplies. "You first," she offered to Sunny.

Sunny picked up her feet and let herself slide down to the edge of the roof, and fall off. It was a two-story house, but she didn't worry. She floated easily to the ground, her sister right behind her.

Ever since they and their brothers, Griffin and Orion, were around seven years old, they had been able to do…strange things. It had started when they were just angry or scared, like when Griffin was being picked on at school and Orion had somehow made the bully hang by his underwear in a tree, or when Sunny had fallen and broke her leg, and Violet somehow healed it. Their mother accepted them though, and encouraged them to practice their skills when no one else was around, so now they could use these powers almost any time they wanted. It may seem strange, but it was just a fact of life at the St. Clair house.

Violet and Sunny walked into the house from the back door, and saw their mother pulling a small chicken out of the oven. Their brothers walked in from the other side, and everyone chose a spot. Sunny sat next to Griffin, Violet sat by Orion, and their mother sat at the head.

"Did you finish your picture?" Chastity asked Violet.

"Yes, here." she handed the painting to her mother.

"It's beautiful!" Chastity proclaimed without exaggeration, absently running her fingers through her short dark brown hair.

"Are you done with that book, Sunny?" Griffin asked. "I really want to read it…"

"I only have a chapter left; I'll give it to you before bed."

"Orion, did that mixture you were working on go well?"

They seemed like a normal family, certainly. With Orion's bright green eyes and Griffin's orange hair to Violet's brown hair and Sunny's dark eyes, they were definitely un-identical quadruplets, even though Sunny and Griffin shared the same dark red–brown eyes and orange hair, and Violet and Orion shared bright green eyes and messy black hair. There were certainly resemblances, like their noses and ears and pale skin, but not nearly enough to call them look–alikes.

After dinner the St. Clair's spent an hour in the library reading together. Orion was halfway through _A Wrinkle in Time_, Sunny was reading the last chapter of _The Magicians Nephew_, Violet was just starting _Matilda_, and Griffin was just finishing _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, _while Chastity was reading _The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes._

At nine thirty, the quadruplets went to bed, and Chastity followed at eleven. It was another normal end to a normal day at the St. Clair's.

The quadruplets slept peacefully that night, which was certainly a blessing. After all, we all know what the next day will hold for them…


	3. Letters and the Truth

**Chapter 2: Letters and the Truth**

Orion's room had four windows, all facing the rolling green hills opposite the sea. They were covered with bamboo curtains edged in dark brown, which was a shade darker than the top half of the walls. The bottom half was carved white panelling, which also framed the windows. The bed, dresser, and side tables were mahogany, and his blanket was cream and brown striped, the pillows a mixture of red, light blue, brown, and cream. The floor was much lighter than the bed, and covered partially with a cream shag rug.

Griffin's room was opposite Orion's and had the same style windows with white curtains. The top half of the walls in his room were navy blue, which matched his bed, side table, and dresser. He had glued starfish onto the wall over his bed as a decoration. His bedding was striped blue, white, and green, and his floor was partially covered in a tan grass rug.

Violet's room faced the sea, and the whole room was white, accented in green and light pink. Several tables and chair was the pink portion, while a stripe on the wall, her bedding, and curtains made up the green. A peg-board on the wall held many of her paintings.

Sunny's room also faced the sea, and the walls were salmon pink. A grid made from white-washed wood covered the wall behind her bed, and held most of her books and some toys. Her blanket was baby blue with pink flowers, and had two pillows each of pink and baby blue. Most furniture in the room was baby blue and white, and a blue ladder led up to the top shelves.

Chastity ran the Seven Sisters post office, and obviously made a decent amount, as she had a large house and provided well for four children. However, Chastity St. Clair was hiding something, something her children would learn about very soon.

Griffin got up first the next morning, and went downstairs to start breakfast for everyone. All the St. Clair's were good cooks in general, but if he or Sunny were to try without a recipe, they were likely to cook toast wrong, while Violet, Orion, and Chastity could fix almost anything from memory.

He had just pulled out a cookbook and some eggs for pancakes when there was a tap on the window. The red-head turned to see –

_An owl?_

Orion crept closer. It _was _an own – a large barn owl, to be precise, and it had four letters in its beak.

Cautiously, he opened the window. The bird promptly flew in, dropped the letters on the table, took a sip out of the pitcher of orange juice, and flew back out the window.

Griffin stared at the retreating bird, then at the letters. They were addressed as such:

**_Orion James St._****_ Clair_**

**_The west-facing room_**

**_17 Lovland _**

**_Seven Sisters_**

**_East Sussex_**

**_Griffin John St._****_ Clair _**

**_The north-facing room_**

**_17 Lovland_**

**_Seven Sisters_**

**_East Sussex_**

**_Violet Alison St. Clair _**

**_The east-facing room_**

**_17 Lovland _**

**_Seven Sisters_**

**_East Sussex_**

**_Sunny Lilian St. Clair_**

**_The south-facing room_**

**_17 Lovland _**

**_Seven Sisters_**

**_East Sussex_**

In emerald ink. The words were written on very heavy, yellow looking paper.

"Hey, Griffin. Pancakes? What are those?" asked Violet as she walked in, looking at the letters.

"I guess they're letters," He said, finally unfreezing himself. "An _owl _just brought them in."

"An owl? What about an owl?" asked Orion sleepily, stumbling into the kitchen.

"Griffin says an owl delivered these letters."

"An _owl _delivered letters? Who for?" asked Sunny, joining her siblings.

"Us." Answered Griffin. "Really!" he added at their incredulous looks. "It tapped on the window, so I let it in, and it dropped them on the table, drank some of our juice, and flew off!"

"Who drank the juice?" asked Chastity, walking into the kitchen as well.

"An owl!" All four quadruplets cried at once.

None of them were expecting their mother's reaction. She gasped, turning very pale, and dropped into a nearby chair heavily.

"What is it, mum?" asked Sunny at once as they all crowded around her.

"I knew this day would come…should have remembered…already eleven, after all…" she babbled, her head in her hands.

"What do you mean?" demanded Orion. "What day?"

"And what does being eleven have to do with it?" asked Violet.

"Read your letters." She said simply. They did.

_Dear Mr. or Miss St. Clair,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September the first. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress._

"Wow," Sunny was the first to speak.

"Witchcraft and…does this mean we're…" Griffin's voice seemed to fail.

Chastity looked up.

"Yes. You're witches and wizards, all of you. And – and so am I."

"_You are_?"

"_We are_?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Does that mean that all the stuff we can do is magic?"

Chastity motioned for them all to sit, and answered, "Yes, I am a witch. And yes, what you can do is magic. I didn't tell you so that you could have a relatively normal childhood…but there's more," She added, sounding hopeless. They waited expectantly. "I'm not your real mother. No, let me finish!" she added hastily when the children turned paper–white and exchanged shocked looks.

"Your mother and father were James and Lily Potter. And…your names aren't really Orion, Griffin, Violet, and Sunny. You were born Harry, Jamie, Lilith, and Alice Potter."

They gaped at her, but she continued before they could speak, as if she had planned this speech for years.

"You see, there was this Dark Lord rising to power in our world. His name was…was Voldemort, but none of us say his name. We like to refer to him as You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He had followers called Death Eaters and would kill anyone who got in his way or didn't agree with him. For some reason, he targeted you and your parents." All four were staring incredulously at her.

"He killed your father and mother, but when he tried to kill you…he couldn't do it." She continued.

"Why not?" Violet asked.

"No one knows," said Chastity. "The curse he used rebounded on him, and he was destroyed…supposedly. That's the reason you have those scars." She gestured to the lightning bolt on Orion's forehead, the sun on Griffin's, the star on Violet's, and the moon on Sunny's. All the scars were located on the right sides of the quadruplet's heads. "It comes from being touched by an evil curse. You were to be left with your aunt – your mother's sister – and uncle, the Dursleys, but they didn't want to keep you. Your uncle dropped you off on my doorstep, which was _very _lucky, since I knew who you were."

As soon as she paused again, the quads all started to ask questions. Chastity held up her hand.

"One at a time!" She said.

Sunny went first.

"Why did you change our names?" She asked.

"Because I knew you would be famous," The brunette explained. "Like I said, I wanted you to grow up normal. But I did commemorate your parents and their friends in your names," she added. "I thought it was rather clever, actually. Orion, your first name is after your father's best friend, and your middle name is after your father as well. Griffin, you're named after Gryffindor, the house your parents were in at Hogwarts, and your middle name is after another good friend of your father's. Violet and Sunny, well, we wizards have a sort of plant theme we like to use, and you're named in honour of that, to throw off suspicion. Violet, your middle name is after your mother's best friend, Alice, and Sunny, yours is after your mother."

"But who are these friends?" asked Orion. "Why haven't we met them?"

Chastity shifted uncomfortably.

"Well…Sirius Orion Black…he happens to be in the wizard jail currently…."

"What?" gasped all four at once.

"What for?"

"Um…they…people think he was the one who betrayed your parents…"

"But did he?" asked Violet.

"I don't think so," said Chastity truthfully. "I believe it was someone else."

"Then why don't you tell someone?" asked Griffin. "They shouldn't keep an innocent man in jail!"

"I've tried appealing to the Wizengamot – our courts – but they won't hear of it." She sighed sadly.

"But anyway, Remus John Lupin, well, he's…he has this condition. He gets very ill once a month, but perhaps we can arrange a meeting soon." The kids smiled at this. "As for Alice Longbottom…he and her husband, Frank, were tortured into insanity by Death Eaters not long after your parents died."

"That's terrible!" cried Sunny.

"But why?" asked Griffin.

She shrugged. "No one knows that either."

"But what about you, mum?" asked Violet. "Have you just ignored the…the Wizarding World for the past nine years?"

She nodded. "For the most part. I have a sister, Charity Burbage – she'll be one of your teachers at Hogwarts – and I used to be married to a man named Frederick St. Clair. He was killed in the war against Voldemort, and since them I've wanted nothing to do with the Wizarding World. Too many bad memories."

"But then why adopt us?" asked Orion. "If you knew we'd be wizards –"

"I thought that I would give myself nine years," answered Chastity. "Then return. It gave me a grieving period. And I wasn't going to return you to the Dursleys, or – goodness forbid! – tell Albus about you."

"Who is Albus?" asked Sunny.

"Albus Dumbledore is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and also the head of the Order of the Phoenix – the people who fought against Voldemort."

Violet frowned. "Then why wouldn't you want to tell him?" she asked.

"Yeah, he seems good…" agreed her red-haired brother.

"He is, he is!" Chastity assured them. "But Albus…he tends to treat people a little like puppets. He thinks that everything should be done 'For the greater good' which is noble and all, but he tends to forget the individuals…"

For the next few hours, they discussed their mother's life, the wizarding world, and Voldemort. The quadruplets assured their mother that they weren't angry at her (they _were_ irritated that she hadn't told them sooner, but they understood her reasons), that she was a wonderful mother, and that _of course_ they would still call her mum.

At one point, Chastity pulled out a stick, waved it and murmured something, and a silver form somewhat like a lamb burst out of the end and flew out the open window.

"What was that?" asked Orion, awe-struck.

"Oh, I decided to keep up on the wizarding world's newspaper, The Daily Prophet. I sent them a message, as we don't have an owl yet, so we should get a paper right about–"

"Now." Said Sunny, pointing to the window.

It was another owl, this time a tawny. Chastity immediately let it in. It dropped a newspaper on the table, and then stared pointedly at her.

"Oh! Right…" she dug into a tin on the top shelf of the pantry, and placed two little bronze coins in. The bird left.

"Is this picture…_moving?" _gasped Violet.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," said her mother, "Pictures in our world move. Paintings too. Some of them can even talk."

"_Really_?"

Chastity laughed. "Yes, really."

The picture on the front showed four children posing with two men. Suddenly, Chastity gasped.

"What is it?" asked Griffin.

"Listen," said Chastity, holding up the newspaper and reading:

_"This morning, Harry, Jamie, Alice, and Lilith Potter arrived at the Ministry. Their parents, Sarah and Aidan Forks, told Ministry officials that they found the four children on the doorstep of their home in Shoreham-By-Sea, West Sussex. This agrees with the story of Vernon and Petunia Dursley, the aunt and uncle of The Children Who Lived. The Muggles informed us that they dropped the children on the step of a random house in Sussex. _

_"Mr. and Mrs. Forks have raised the quadruplets as their own, and never informed anyone of whom they really are so they might have a normal childhood. The adoptive parents say that the children will be attending Hogwarts come this September first. The above picture shows Harry, Jamie, Alice, and Lilith shaking hands with the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and Albus Dumbledore._

_"You can clearly see that the girls very much resemble their mother, Lily Potter, while the boys resemble their father, James Potter. On their foreheads, you can see the famous lightening bolt, sun, star, and moon scars from their encounter with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."_

As Chastity finished, they looked at the picture.

The two girls had long, curly red hair, lots of freckles, and blue eyes, while their so-called brothers had messy black hair and brown eyes.

"_How_ can they believe those children are you?" Chastity nearly roared. "None of them even have Lily's eyes!"

"But they have the scars!" said Sunny.

"They probably just used Glamours," said Chastity angrily. "That's a charm that can change your physical appearance."

"Wait!" said Orion suddenly, "Our scars! If we go to Hogwarts with them, people will know who we are!"

"Or they'll think we're copying them, more likely." said Violet darkly. The St. Clair's didn't like dishonesty to begin with, but when someone lied for no particular reason…

"Well…" said Chastity slowly. "We could go to the Ministry, offer to do blood tests, and prove that you're James and Lily's kids, if you want to. Then you would get the recognition you deserve, and Sarah and Aiden Forks would likely be fined, at the least, for impersonation. But, we could also use Glamour to hide your scars, and you could continue to be Orion, Griffin, Sunny, and Violet St. Clair. It is completely up to you four."

The quadruplets looked at each other. Their mother could almost feel the silent conversation through the four siblings. After a few minutes, Orion said, "Could we talk about this in the playroom, mum?"

Chastity nodded. "Of course, take your time. This is a big decision."

The playroom at 17 Lovland had a pink and red, paisley like pattern on the walls, with accents – such as the beams – in tan and light brown. The ceiling was a yellow-ish cream and blue paisley pattern. None of the furniture matched, much like the walls, but there was a feeling of home in the air.

An extended sofa was white with brown and tan spots on the side, striped white, blue, and yellow on the arms, striped brown and tan like the parts of the ceiling on the back and lower front, and the seat was striped all different colours. An umbrella stuck out one side; brown on the top, green floral print on the inside, with white lace and red trimmings hanging off the sides

The other seat, a very high-backed wooden frame done in teal with a large circle in the middle of the back, had red, white, yellow, and brown cushion, and assorted pillows of blue, orange, brown, and floral patterns.

The floor was wood, but a large green rug covered most of it. Two poufs, orange based floral pattern on the sides, yellow on the top, with light blue crescent shapes hanging off the tops, sat on the floor between the couches.

Other than all this, there was an easel for Violet, a book nook in the side for all of them, several white antiques – a stroller, some chairs, and a lamp – and a large distressed cabinet sat in the corner, filled with all the toys and games they still played with.

Violet and Sunny sat in the extended sofa, while the boys sat in the seat opposite.

"So…what do you guys think we should do?" asked Griffin as they sat down.

"Well," started Sunny. "On one hand, if we tell the truth, then we'll be famous. The Potters–" she had a hard time saying 'us', "– are the ones who supposedly stopped Voldemort. I bet a lot of people will know about them."

The others nodded. It might be nice to be liked, for once. At school, no one really knew what to do with quadruplets who hardly even looked alike. People somehow seemed to think that most multiples were identical. Not to mention the odd things that happened around the children, and the fact that they read a lot – which to younger kids seemed to be a big turn-off.

"But –" started Orion, "– If we do that, then we'll be treated a lot differently. Everyone will want to get to know us because we're famous, not because we're us."

"You're right," agreed the brown-haired sister. "But if we go to school as the St. Clair's, then when we _do_ make friends –" she tried not to add the _If _"–We'll have to tell them the truth. It's only fair."

"Yes," agreed Griffin, and the others nodded. "So, we're decided: we hide the scars, act normal, but tell any friends we make when it's time."

"Right." They all agreed.

When they were back downstairs, Chastity immediately jumped up.

"What did you decide?" she asked breathlessly.

"We want to use the Glamour –"

"-To hide our scars –"

"-And stay Orion, Griffin –"

"-Sunny, and Violet St. Clair."

The children didn't often talk like this – in "twin fashion" if you will – but when they knew what they wanted to say, they tended to use it.

Their mother beamed at them.

"I guess we'd better go get your supplies."


	4. Diagon Alley

**I know, I am a horrible writer. I promise the next *real* chapter, rather than an improved one, will be up by tomorrow, at the latest. I' sorry again, and if you're still reading this, God bless you. Now, to answer some of your reviews;**

**To S****a****k****ur****a**** Lisel:** _I'm not sure if I covered this later in the story (and if not I'll make sure I clarify it later) the fake quads ARE related. They are actually quadruplets. Obviously, they aren't actually the children who lived. I think Dumbledore was just counting on family ties and basic kindness for the Dursleys to agree to keep the children (and there were four bedrooms; Petunia and Vernon's, Dudley's, Dudley's second bedroom, and one for Marge)._

_As for your second review, that's the funny part of the thing! But for one, children's appearance's change dramatically as they grow. Their eye-colour can change and their hair colour almost always does. But there are other ways for people to find out if they're really the quads (especially wizards), so why hasn't that happened yet?_

_That's the question._

**To Tricorvus: **_Children can question their sexuality as young as eight or nine, but it's not really sexual attraction; right now it's just aesthetic, like "I think your cute and maybe wanna hold your hand and I can picture us married someday" kind of thing._

**Chapter 3: Diagon Alley**

"Kids! Time to leave!" yelled Chastity from the hallway.

Immediately, four children raced from different parts of the house; the library, the bedroom, the playroom, and the bathroom.

"Ready!" they cried at once, all nearly bouncing with excitement. All of this just explained so much to the quadruplets, and they couldn't wait to learn even more. The siblings felt a little different now that their mother had Glamoured the scars they had had for their whole lives, but they felt it was for the better.

Their mother grinned, then led the way out of the house.

"How are we getting there?" asked Sunny. "You said it was in London."

"That's right." Answered Chastity. "We're going to use a Portkey."

She pulled out a book from her purse.

"All of you need to gather around and touch a part of this. It will transport us there."

They raised their eyebrows at her.

"Really!" she assured them. "It's a type of magic."

So the four of them each placed a finger on the book. The quadruplets were worried that their mother might have finally lost it.

She watched her watch in silence for a few minutes, and then: "Get ready…five, four, three, two–"

All of the sudden, they all felt a jerk around their lower back, and they were being pulled through darkness, their shoulders bumping, unable to let go of the book.

And then they landed in an alley way.

"Phew!" exclaimed Chastity, standing up and running her fingers through her hair. "It's been awhile since I travelled by Portkey."

Orion, Griffin, Sunny, and Violet were staring at her incredulously.

"What just happened?" asked Violet, looking around the dingy alleyway.

"And where are we?" asked Griffin. "I thought we were going to London?"

Chastity tucked the book back into her bag. "A Portkey is just a regular object that has been charmed to take whoever touches it to a certain destination. We are in London, across the street from the Leaky Cauldron, which is the entrance to Diagon Alley."

The quadruplets shared a look.

"I don't think we'll ever get used to magic." Orion decided.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––-

The Leaky Cauldron was a dark, dingy place. About a dozen people were scattered around at various tables. As they walked in, the barman looked up.

"Chastity St. Clair, is that you?" he cried, squinting at the quadruplet's mother.

She nodded. "Hello there, Tom." She led the four of them over to the bar. The occupants, other than the bar man and an old man and woman sitting at the bar, ignored them completely. "It's been a long time."

"Chastity!" exclaimed the old man next to them. The quadruplets noticed now that he was very small and wore a top hat.

"Hello, Dedalus!" said Chastity, shaking his hand enthusiastically. "And hello Hestia!" she added to the woman beside him.

Orion, Griffin, Sunny, and Violet looked expectantly at their mother, waiting for her to introduce them.

Their mother saw this, and quickly said, "Kids, this is Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones. They–" she glanced around, but Tom and the other occupants were paying them no mind. "–they were also in the Order." The children nodded. Chastity had told them about those who had resisted during the war; they all found it extremely heroic. "These are my children, Orion, Griffin, Violet, and Sunny."

The children politely shook Dedalus' and Hestia's hands, and after a few minutes of conversation between the adults, the quadruplets and their mum left to do their shopping.

Chastity led them out the back door into a small yard. The lone occupant of the yard was a rubbish bin.

"How are we getting to this Alley?" wondered Griffin.

"Are we taking another Portkey?" asked Violet nervously.

Chastity shook her head. In answer, she pulled out her wand and walked over to the wall by the bin. She muttered something to herself, staring at the bricks, then said, "Aha!" and tapped one of them.

Instantly, the brick wall shivered and dissolved back into a large archway. Beyond it was a street filled with shops and people in cloaks.

The quadruplets gasped, and Chastity grinned.

"Let's see…that's the apothecary over there, we'll get your potions supplies there. Oh, and over here is the magical creature shop. We'll go there as well; every witch or wizard needs a familiar. Here's the Quidditch supply shop; your father was an excellent Seeker, so I'm sure you'll all be great fliers, but sadly first years aren't allowed brooms. Over there is–"

Chastity pointed out the various shops as they walked, and the quads all tried to look everywhere at once.

Orion, who loved chemistry, was looking forward to potions; they seemed very similar. Sunny glanced inside the bookshop, Florish and Blotts, and saw a book she would love to read: _Things_ _Muggles Call Myths that are Actually True, _by Revelie Shinebright. Violet noticed a wizard hobby shop, and saw a display showing a paintbrush that would paint in any colour you wanted and never ran out of paint – that was a dream come true for any artist. Griffin saw two old men playing Wizard's Chess; he noticed the pieces moving by themselves and decided he wanted to try that game.

"Here we are, this is Gringotts." Said Chastity finally, coming to a halt in front of a tall, white building. She turned to the kids. "I'll go get some money; you four go down the road to Madam Malkin's and start getting fitted for your uniforms."

They nodded, and the four kids split up from their mother.

"There's a sign for Madam Malkin's over there," said Orion, pointing down the street. They set off, still looking around at the people and shops. All of the sudden –

"No! Come back here!" yelled a voice from a shop beside them. Something small and green shot out of the door, and the next minute a boy followed.

And he ran right into Griffin.

Who fell into Orion, who tripped Sunny, who grabbed Violet's sleeve to steady herself, and all five fell to the ground.

"Ow!" said Sunny, rubbing her arm.

"What happened?" moaned Violet.

"Sorry," said the boy sheepishly, standing up and helping Orion. He was a chubby boy with short dark brown hair and brownish-green eyes. "I was trying to catch that rat; did you see him?"

"Was it green?" asked Griffin, standing as well.

"Yes." Said the boy hopefully.

"We saw him run out right before you," said Violet. "He went that way, I think." She pointed over to a rubbish bin she had seen the green blur take shelter under. Sure enough, two eyes peered out at them.

The boy groaned, bending down and trying to scoop up the rat. Orion leaned down to help him, and soon enough the boy had the green rat in his hands.

"Thanks!" he said happily. "I mean it; I'll bet if you hadn't have helped me get him out, my uncle would've made me get a toad instead." He made a face. "Toads are even worse than rats."

"Your welcome," said Orion. "I'm Orion St. Clair, by the way, and my siblings are Griffin, Violet, and Sunny."

"I'm Neville Longbottom." The boy said, nodding to each of the quads. "Are you _all_ staring Hogwarts this year?" he asked suddenly.

"Yes," said Sunny. "Why?"

"Because I heard The Children Who Lived will be starting as well; they're quadruplets too, you know." Neville said, scrunching up his nose slightly. They hoped that meant he wasn't smitten with the 'Potters'; though the children hadn't met them, and knew very well that they could easily be kind children with rude or power-hungry parents, they couldn't help being a bit resentful.

"Yes, we heard." Said Griffin, making a face as well.

Neville smiled.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at Hogwarts then," he said, keeping a tight hold on the green rat as he stepped back towards the shop.

"Yeah," Violet said. "See you, Neville."

She and her siblings waved, and then continued to the robe shop.

When they arrived, a pale boy with white-blond hair and a pointed face was already inside, being fitted. The woman sticking pins in his clothes looked at them and said, "Oh, dear. Mila! We have four more!"

Another woman rushed out of the back and started to pile clothes on the quadruplets.

"Hello," said the pale boy in a drawling voice. "Hogwarts as well?"

They nodded.

"My mother is next door getting my books, and father is across the street looking at wands. Where are you parents?" he asked in the same bored, drawling voice.

"Our mum is withdrawing money from Gringotts," Griffin answered. He mentioned Gringotts by name because he was almost sure the boy was what their mother had called a Pure-Blood, and remembered he and his siblings were supposed to be as well.

"Our father is dead." Said Violet, something that she supposed was true either way.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Said the boy, but he didn't sound it. "I'm Draco Malfoy. What are your names?"

They weren't too sure they liked this boy – he sounded rather snobby, and they didn't care for that. Not wanting to be outright mean (he could always be having a bad day, of course), they simply decided to confuse him.

"She's Violet." Said Sunny, pointing to her brown-haired sister.

"That's Griffin." Said Orion, pointing to Griffin.

"Sunny's over there," said Griffin, pointed to the auburn-haired girl.

"And he's Orion." Said Violet, pointing to Orion.

Madam Malkin chuckled, but the boy looked momentarily confused before he shrugged it off and even smiled slightly. At first the quadruplets smiled back, thinking that perhaps he might actually be nice, before they realized the smile wasn't because of them.

Standing inside the door, presumably having entered moments ago, was another child. He had very curly, long-ish black hair that was parted on the left so that it fell partially in his face. He was tan, with a slightly olive tinge to his skin, and, as he stepped onto a podium opposite Draco Malfoy, he had his hands in his pockets, looking very relaxed.

"Zabini," greeted Malfoy.

"Malfoy." Greeted the boy.

Malfoy nodded to him, then turned back to the other four.

"What House do you think you'll be in?" asked Malfoy in his drawling voice again.

Honestly, the children didn't know. They were all plenty smart and loved to read and learn anything they could, so perhaps Ravenclaw. But they also were hard-working as well, and knew that if they had any friends, they would certainly be loyal to them, so Hufflepuff was a definite possibility. They could be quite cunning at times, so maybe Slytherin would be their house. Gryffindor sounded pleasant as well because that was where their parents and surrogate mother had been, but they just weren't sure, so they shrugged. All they knew for certain was that they didn't want to be separated.

"I'm sure I'll be in Slytherin of course," Malfoy continued in a matter–of–fact voice. "My family has been pure of blood for hundreds of years."

"But Slytherin isn't about blood, is it?" said Sunny, honestly curious about the boy's view on the house, remembering what their mother had told them about the houses. "It's for people who are ambitious and cunning. Who cares about blood purity?"

Sunny was just stating what she and her siblings truly thought – really, what did it matter how many Muggles you had in your family? It didn't diminish magical ability – at least, as far as they knew. Malfoy, however, looked aghast, but the other boy spoke up.

"She's right, Draco," he said. "Pure-bloods are a bunch of stuck-ups who think they're better than everyone else. Merlin, no offense meant, but you're proof enough of that." he nodded at Malfoy. Then, ignoring Malfoy's shocked expression, he turned to the quadruplets. "I'm Blaise Zabini, by the way. I didn't catch your last name?"

"St. Clair." Answered Orion.

Blaise frowned for a minute, and then asked, "Fredrick and Chastity St. Clair? Formerly Burbage?"

They nodded.

"How did you know?" asked Griffin curiously.

He grinned. "My parents like to think they know absolutely everyone. We have a whole book on wizarding genealogy that my dad updates every time someone is born. Where's your mother now?"

"Gringotts," Sunny said, but Violet shook her head.

"She's out there." The brunette said, pointing out the window. Chastity was just opening the door to the shop.

"Chastity St. Clair!" cried Madam Malkin in greeting, just as she pronounced Draco Malfoy done and he left the shop. "I haven't seen you in…well, it must be ten years!"

Chastity walked forward to embrace the older woman, smiling.

"I decided to raise my children away from the wizarding world for awhile, Aunt Miriam." Chastity said. "But I'm back now, so I suppose I'll have a lot of owls to write."

They both laughed.

"Oh, kids, this is you're Great-Aunt Miriam." Chastity added when she caught the quadruplet's shocked looks.

Miriam waved her hand dismissively. "Don't use that 'great' balderdash, Chastity! One aunt will do. Makes me seem younger." The two women laughed again, and while they chatted, the four siblings turned back to Blaise.

"Looks like you're almost done." He observed.

They nodded, and Orion said, "I guess we'll see you at Hogwarts, then."

Blaise smiled. "No, I don't think you will." At their confused expressions he explained, "I'm going to be in Slytherin, and you four will be in Gryffindor or maybe Hufflepuff. Or even Ravenclaw, I suppose – I don't know you well enough to make an educated guess. But you've had many Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs in your family, so therefore you will have to hate me on principal."

Sunny and Violet both rolled their eyes.

"That's dumb," the former said. "You're nice, not like that Malfoy boy, and we aren't going to hate you just because you're in a different House. We can still be friends."

Blaise gazed at them for a minute, his expression blank. Then he said, "I like you four. I would like to be friends with you."

At that moment, the woman fixing his robes told him he was done, and he collected his things and left with a wave.

"What an interesting boy..." Aunt Miriam observed.

"I've met his fathers," said Chastity. "They're both pure-bloods, but they aren't crazed about it like the Malfoys. They're actually very nice people. Anyway, kids, we'd better go finish your shopping. You'll be there for dinner tomorrow night, yes?" she asked Aunt Miriam.

"Wouldn't miss it, dear." The woman smiled

The next two hours were a blur. The family bought cauldrons, telescopes, gloves, and – best of all – pets.

Since their mother didn't want them to have to cart off four familiars to school, the girls decided to share one, and the boys would share another. Orion and Griffin bought a beautiful snowy white owl named Hedwig, and Sunny and Violet picked out a calico half-kneazle named Monday. Soon all they had left to buy were their wands and books.

"Here we are," said Chastity, stopping in front of an old shop. A sign hanging over it said _Ollivander's_. "He's the best in wands, Ollivander is."

As the five of them entered, a very old man was handing a wand to none other than Neville Longbottom.

"Hi, Neville." Said Griffin as they stepped in.

The brown haired boy wheeled around in shock, as did the older woman next to him.

"Oh hi, you guys." He said when he saw it was them. The old man, presumably Ollivander, took the wand he had just handed Neville and gave him another to try.

Before the children could introduce the two women, the older woman said, "Oh Neville! You've finally got yourself some friends! And they're not plants!"

Poor Neville blushed bright red and the quadruplets gave him sympathetic looks.

"I'm Augusta Longbottom, dears, it's lovely to meet you." Said Augusta, rushing forward to shake Orion, Griffin, Sunny, and Violet's hands, before turning to Chastity. "And this must be Chastity St. Clair. It's been a long time."

Chastity smiled. "It certainly has."

The quadruplets were starting to wonder if their mother knew everyone in the Wizarding World, but at that moment Neville waved a wand violently, causing it to shoot sparks right at Ollivander. He ducked just in time, and the sparks hit the wall behind him.

"Well Mr. Longbottom, I think you've found it!" he said triumphantly.

"I – I have?" stuttered Neville.

"Indeed!" said Ollivander. "A nice one too – thirteen inches, cherry, with a unicorn tail hair core."

While Neville's grandmother paid for his wand, he and the quadruplets talked.

"So – what house do you think you'll be in?" asked Violet.

"Probably Hufflepuff." He said morosely.

"Well what's wrong with Hufflepuff?" demanded Griffin. "It's full of loyal and kind people. There's nothing wrong with it."

"Most people think so though," Neville said. "They say that 'Puffs are a bunch of dotters."

"Do they?" asked Chastity. "Well, my sister was a Hufflepuff and there's nothing wrong with her mind. She teaches Muggle Studies at Hogwarts now."

At that Neville looked a little more assured, and his grandmother even mentioned that now that he had non-green friends, she wouldn't care a wit what House he was in. This made Neville smile brightly, and soon the quadruplets bade him farewell as he and his grandmother left the shop.

"So," said Ollivander, staring at the children with his misty eyes. "The St. Clair's. Who's first?"

"I'll go," said Sunny, sounding braver than she felt.

"Very well…"

So, long story and thirty seven wands short, Orion ended up with a phoenix and holly wand, Violet with a phoenix and apple wand, Sunny with a yew and unicorn, and Griffin with a yew and dragon heartstring. Ollivander informed them that the phoenix feathers happened to be from the same bird that provided the feathers for the one of none other than Voldemort, and the yew came from the same tree that his wand was made from as well. He simply thought it was a strange coincidence, but the five St. Clair's thought there was more to it. They shared similar wands with the guy who died trying to kill them and that was supposed to be a _coincidence_?

"Don't worry about it," said Chastity. "I'm sure it's just what Ollivander said – a coincidence." But she didn't look too convinced.

In a matter of minutes, the family stepped into Florish and Blotts. All four quadruplets – Sunny especially – were in awe at the amount of books. Some were smaller than an inch, while others were ever taller than they were!

"Wow," whispered Violet, speaking for all of them.

Needless to say, the St. Clair's spent a good amount of time in the bookstore.


	5. Doubts and Beauty

**Chapter 3: Doubts And Beauty**

The next morning, all four quadruplets got up early to walk the beach. They each wanted a bit of alone time to contemplate everything that had happened so far, and as they crossed paths in on the pathway to the beach, they all knew without a word that this was one walk they wouldn't take together.

Sunny and Orion in particular were having an especially hard time. Sunny felt confused about her feelings recently – she had been told in school that girls date boys and vice versa, but she was starting to have strange dreams and imaginings more and more. Shouldn't she see a loving husband and some kids in her future?

Sunny wanted to talk to someone about it, but was convinced that there was something wrong with her. She tried to bottle those feelings up, but lately – especially with all the new developments about their true identities – it was getting hard. Sunny was scared and feeling much more stress than an eleven year old should.

Sunny flopped down on the sand on her stomach, absentmindedly tracing patterns in the sand. The sun was rising across the sea and to the left, right behind the Cliffs, while at the same time the moon and some stars were still visible. Pink, yellow, orange, and purple fought for dominance in the slightly clouded sky, causing the white of the cliffs to turn orange and pink all at the same time. A shooting star flew over her head and across the sea. Sunny stared in awe at the scene in front of her. She thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

* * *

Orion, on the other hand, wasn't as worried. He was concerned about what his family would think if he told them he thought he might have a bit of a crush on the boy they had met before, Blaise Zabini, but he didn't much care what the rest of the world thought. Orion had always been a bit…different. When he saw Blaise's curly hair and tanned skin…he just felt how Griffin always said he did when he looked at Anna, a girl he liked in their class. Orion knew he'd have to ask his mother about all this – he had no idea what to do. He knew he was too young for dating now, but he certainly wasn't too young for a crush. The question was, should he be concerned that his crush was a boy like him? He didn't know.

Orion rolled up the legs of his pyjama pants and waded very slowly into the water. He could barely see by the light of the slowly rising sun and slowly sinking moon that there was a small school of fish in front of him. There were five of them, and they floated together – perhaps sleeping. A family. As Orion stared, one of the smaller fishes floated off slightly to the side. A sibling perked up almost immediately and swam after it, nudging against it slightly to get its attention. They both swam back to the group. Orion thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

* * *

Violet and Griffin weren't any better off, though neither was worried about their sexuality. Violet found herself worrying terribly about Hogwarts – what if her siblings all found new friends, and they drifted apart? She wanted things to stay the same, for the most part. Violet wanted friends, of course, but she knew her brothers and sister would always be her closest confidants. What if they didn't feel the same way? What if they got new friends, got married, had kids, and forgot about her? What if she was left behind?

Violet sighed, sitting down near the water and running fingers through her bangs. As she sat, however, she felt a slight brush against her leg. Looking down, Violet saw a small turtle on the sand, looking up at her. She wondered where its parents were, and then noticed two larger turtles a few feet away. They seemed to be eying her warily, then their baby. Violet carefully picked up the baby turtle and stretched as far as she could, placing it just an inch away from its parents. Immediately they scuttled towards it, tapping their flippers on its back to hurry it along back to the ocean while nudging it slightly with their noses. Violet thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

* * *

Griffin knew he would be awful at Hogwarts. He was sure his siblings would all do wonderfully – they were all so smart…all Griffin could do was mix things. Did wizards even cook, or did they use their wands for things like that? He knew that his siblings would go on to make the tops of the class, and he would be stuck behind, constantly asking for help as he always did, never really understanding the lessons. Griffin just wanted to do okay in school, go on adventures with his siblings and new friends, and learn all the magic he could. But what if he was bad at magic? What if his mother forgot about him next to his brilliant siblings? What if his siblings forgot him too? What if he ended up alone?

Griffin walked slowly through a section of the dunes that had been burned by a recent brush fire. The grass and bushes were all burnt black from the flames that had flashed through only weeks before. There was absolutely nothing to be seen but darkness. But then…Griffin saw a flash of yellow in all the black. Certain it was a piece of trash, Griffin stopped to pick it up, only to find that it was a flower. A simple dandelion, just one, but it had fought through all the bad soil and soot and burnt plants just to _live_. Griffin thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

* * *

As the four quadruplets met again at the start of the pathway back home, they shared a look. Then the children all took each other's hands wordlessly. They knew that no matter what happened in Hogwarts or in the future, they would always have each other.

Perhaps _that _was the most beautiful thing they had seen that night in the end.


End file.
